“When we bought our home, we bought it for the land and not the house,” Cindy Barnhill says. Yet the couple nevertheless drew inspiration from the English Tudor home. “We do a lot of French- and English-inspired gardens,” Barnhill continues. “I believe that your garden should be an extension of your home.”
That belief was the genesis of the less formal, meandering mix of boxwood, herbs, perennials and container gardens-arranged in pots from Gene Switzer Antiques-that graces the front of the Barnhills’ home.
And the approach continues in the backyard, where the most striking element is a gorgeous pool and patio. Neither of those existed 25 years ago; in fact, the Barnhills exchanged wedding vows in the very spot where the deep end of their pool now lies.
Back then the nearly empty land included a horse barn and a tack shed, which the couple inherited from the property’s previous owners. They eventually remodeled those structures, transforming the former into a greenhouse and the latter into a playhouse for their two boys.
They tackled the land and planted the orchard that now is home to approximately 120 mature and 20 younger trees with 85 varieties of fruit and nuts. Then they put in a vegetable garden of epic proportions: Last summer it contained 300 tomato cages along with squash, peppers, turnips, kale, purple carrots and more. “We’ve always been crazy gardeners,” Barnhill says. “We try to do unusual things you don’t see all the time.”
Well-placed antiques and iron archways help achieve that goal while adding architectural interest to the green expanse. Guests sitting in the poolside chaise lounges, for example, have a perfect view of an antique mirror from Christopher Filley Antiques: Attached to the back side of the house, it plays host to a revolving variety of flowering vines from year to year.
The Barnhills’ myriad perennial gardens, berm beds and pathways serve as conduits, drawing visitors further into the landscape. This is particularly evident in an aerial shot of the French-inspired parterre garden just across from the pathway that runs along the house. “You just don’t know what’s behind the next bed,” Barnhill says. “It does give you that feel of ‘The Secret Garden.’”
While the Barnhills certainly enjoy getting their hands dirty, taking care of the expanse that has grown up under their tenure on the land is more than a two-person job. Over the past 25 years, they have worked with Brian Wormley of Bergamot & Ivy, who set up the original berm bed outlines, Reed Dillon & Associates in Lawrence and, most recently, Brett Daniel of Red Square Landscaping Design-all were family friends.
But it’s a little easier to maintain the property these days, Barnhill says. “People think we must be out there from morning to night,” Barnhill says. “We’ve gotten to a point after this many years now though where there’s not that much maintenance if we keep things under control.”
In fact, a lot of the work happens in the off-season, when Barnhill and Daniels spend their days in the greenhouse, planning, pouring over seed catalogs and working on the container gardens.
“It’s fun to go away [for a season] and come back and see what’s come up,” Barnhill says. “You’re still gardening all year long and taking people along on the journey you see out your window.”
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November 17 2011 | Landscaping | No Comments »
Those small, annoying insects, mosquitoes, have always made us run for our lives because they are thought to be carriers of viruses from person to person, animal to animal and from human to animals. How true it is that in Africa alone mosquitoes that kill one child below the age of five each thirty seconds, are the main cause of infection and account for the largest number of deaths all around the world.
The use of mosquito repellents in the form of mosquito coils, electronic mosquito repellents, mosquito repellent creams, herbal mosquito lotions and plants help keep mosquitoes at bay. Furthermore, insecticides sprayed on plants could also help.
However some individuals could be allergic to these ways and suffer from problems of the skin, nasal cavity and throat. So it is highly advisable and environmentally friendly to take into account plants to repel mosquitoes.
Citronella, a plant that gets to a height of two feet, gives an annual bloom of lavender color flowers and finds its position as one of the most well-known mosquitoes repelling plants . You can find these plants usually in places of warm climate. The oil of the citronella plant is used in scents and other herbal products because of their mosquito repelling attributes.
If you love growing marigold of the African or French variety in your garden, you have a mosquito repellent just in your backyard. Marigolds, growing to the height of between six inches and three feet, grow well in sunny climes and hates the shade because it slows its growth process. The marigold plant of both the French and African species are able to repel mosquitoes because of the peculiar smell that they possess.
Rosemary, a bush that grows up to four to five feet high, is a powerful mosquito repellent. This shrub grows larger than others and has blue flowers. Rosemary, a drought resistant shrub is also used in many fish recipes as a herb.
In addition, green lemon grass acts as a strong mosquito repellent, because of the citronella oil enclosed in it. This perennial plant of India and Thailand grows up to 2 feet high, provides us with lemon grass oil and acts as a pesticide and preservative. The tea made out of lemon grass proves to become very refreshing.
Lavender, the beautiful purple colored plant, not just increases the attractiveness of your garden, but also repels mosquitoes. This plant is a gardener?s favourite. It grows to a height of four feet, and requires warm weather. The flowers of this plant also find use in bouquets and lavender oil is extracted from it.
Catnip and horse mint, both belonging to the mint family prove to make powerful mosquito repellents. Catnip oil made from the catnip plant and horse mint with pink bloom also serves as a mosquito repellent.
Garlic the miracle vegetable that is used in recipes also repels mosquitoes. The powerful smell of bulbs of garlic assists to ward off mosquitoes. In addition, herbs like basil, penny royal, and ageratum are also known for their mosquito repellent qualities.
Hence there is no need to feel that these little creatures can irritate you at their leisure and take control of your life. You can take control of their life without using chemical smells or using costly electronic items. It is the case that growing mosquito repellent flowers also makes for a beautiful garden.
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with Electronic Bug Killer devices. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at electronic insect killer
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May 31 2011 | Gardening | No Comments »